A new collaboration by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Facebook lets travelers check in for flights and obtain boarding passes through Facebook Messenger—and marks another step into the travel space by the social media giant.

For those who failed to pay heed to the advice in our December article, here’s a recap of some of the tips for independent and home-based travel agents—and some ideas to get you off on the right foot for 2016.

A little capitalism can be a good thing, and the rise of international travel finally is pushing Cuba’s restaurants to do better, says an article in Monday’s New York Times.

The number of American tourists to the Communist island doubled from 2014 to 2015—and so have their complaints about the food. But now apps like AlaMesaCuba let Cubans and tourists rate restaurants, pushing them to try to deliver a better dining experience.

But for every action there is a reaction. For the first time ever, many local restaurants now are taking reservations. And the good ones are booked up weeks in advance.

In a role created just for him, actor/comedian Rob Riggle will be Holiday Inn Express’s first creative director and the face of the new Stay Smart® campaign spots.

The former “Daily Show” correspondent will be featured in the hotel brand’s new campaign spots, revolving around his love of all things caffeinated.

After Riggle’s idea last year to add one-touch pancakes to the Express Start breakfast bar, his current order of business is bringing a Keurig K 130 coffeemaker to every guest room. “If there’s anything I love as much as pancakes at the push of a button, it’s coffee at the push of a button,” he said.

The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) is formulating a survey of more than 14,000 U.S. households that will ask why they use travel consultants, how they use them, and the kind of trips they use them for.

Called "Best of Both Worlds: Quantifying How Travel Agents Save Consumers Time and Money," the survey is being designed to communicate the value of agents and help agents market themselves.

The results of the study, which is being sponsored by Carnival Corporation, will be available for purchase on the ASTA website in early May.